Greeks For Obama

Obama On Greece:
«I have always been so impressed with the capacity of the Greek-American community to stay close to its roots, to stay passionate about the issues that confront Greece and yet be quintessentially American. That's what we always are, as a people. We are best when we remind ourselves with our past, we remind ourselves of our immigrant heritage, we do not discard those traditions that have been so important to us, we do not ignore the injustices that have occurred in the past here in the US, that there have been times when the Greek community was discriminated against just as the African American community has obviously suffered a long history of injustice here and yet we remain hopeful and optimistic about the future.»
OBAMA RALLY - ATHENS GREECE
THE NATIONAL COORDINATED EFFORT OF HELLENES (CEH)
1100 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 393-7790 [fax] (202) 628-0225
E-mail: [email protected]
The National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (CEH) is pleased to bring to your attention the following news regarding the Greeks for Obama Committee.
Andrew A. Athens, Chairman, National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (CEH); National Chairman, United Hellenic American Congress (UHAC), Honorary President, World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) Philip Christopher, Vice Chair, National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (CEH); President, International Coordinating Committee--Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA); President, Pancyprian Association of America Andrew E. Manatos, President, National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (CEH); Executive Board Member, UHAC and PSEKA Panicos Papanicolaou, Supreme President, Cyprus Federation of America Nikos Mouyiaris, Executive Vice President, Pancyprian Association of America
Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias Expands Reach of National Greeks for Obama Committee; Karloutsos named Vice Chairman
CHICAGO, Illinois, February 5, 2008 – Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, National Chairman of Greeks for Obama Committee, announced that Michael Karloutsos has joined the Committee as Vice Chairman.
"I am thrilled with the level of support my extended family – the Greek American community – has provided to Senator Obama," said Giannoulias. "Barack's inspirational message of hope, opportunity, and of moving this country in a new direction transcends race, gender, age, and political party. That is what this country needs now more than ever: someone who will not only unite this country, but who will mend relations with other nations and re-affirm our position as a global leader, both economically and socially."
"As most of you know," Giannoulias continued, "Barack is not only a close, personal friend, but he is also my mentor. It is his political journey that has inspired me to run for public office. I am hoping that his improbable life's journey will inspire all of you to vote for and support his candidacy for President."
Michael Karloutsos lives in Philadelphia with his wife Anastasia and two children. Michael's political background includes working on Senator Olympia Snowe's staff, playing a major role in the campaigns of Greek-Americans Paul Tsongas (for President) and Paul Vallas (for Governor) and being a Pioneer for President George W. Bush. "I am honored to join this team under the leadership of Treasurer Giannoulias and look forward to being part of a movement that transcends partisan politics and restores accountability in government and hope for America and the entire world," said Karloutsos.
Treasurer Giannoulias was one of Senator Obama's earliest supporters during his candidacy for the United States Senate, and has been in the forefront of the Obama presidential campaign, consistently surrogating for the Senator, fundraising for the campaign, and organizing field operations.
Senator Obama has been appreciative of Giannoulias' efforts: "I'm proud to have Alexi's support, and am inspired that his election proves that America is still a place where young Americans of any race or background can aspire to great things. He joins a proud tradition of Greek-American political leaders who've made important contributions to this country, and I hope to see more follow in your footsteps in the years to come.
Of course, these contributions go back even further and run deeper than any one political office. After all, it was the Greeks who our founding fathers turned to for guidance and inspiration as they crafted our Constitution and the architecture of our democracy. It was Thomas Jefferson himself who wrote: '[Greece was] the first of civilized nations [that] presented [an example] of what man should be.'
I stand before you today as someone seeking an office that is, in many ways, the product of your own proud tradition. And I do so with an unyielding faith that we can once again make this country a proud example of what all of humankind should be."
Under Giannoulias' leadership, the Greek American community has raised funds for the Obama campaign, has provided scores of volunteers to Obama headquarters in Chicago, and has sent field operatives to early primary states.
According to Giannoulias, "Senator Obama is an exemplary leader who has – as the Boston Globe proclaimed in its endorsement – 'an intuitive sense of the wider world'. This intuition is what we need in the Oval Office. Moreover, if we count our friends as those who support our issues, Barack has been there for our community – on Cyprus, on the religions freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on FYROM. Most importantly, Barack has supported our community's attempt to claim a full stake in the American political process by being the most prominent and vocal supporter of a Greek American's candidacy for statewide office. I stand as the youngest statewide elected official in the United States today in large part because of the inspiration and support of Barack Obama."
For more information, contact Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of Greeks for Obama, at 312-738-6190.
http://www.dailyfrappe.com/Home/tabid/36/articleType/Article View/articleId/3581/Greeks-for-Obama.aspx
Obama Facts:
Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961. His father, Barack Obama Sr., was born and raised in a small village in Kenya, where he grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British.
Barack's mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in small-town Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression, and then signed up for World War II after Pearl Harbor, where he marched across Europe in Patton's army. Her mother went to work on a bomber assembly line, and after the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved west to Hawaii.
It was there, at the University of Hawaii, where Barack's parents met. His mother was a student there, and his father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya and pursue his dreams in America.
Barack's father eventually returned to Kenya, and Barack grew up with his mother in Hawaii, and for a few years in Indonesia. Later, he moved to New York, where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983.
Remembering the values of empathy and service that his mother taught him, Barack put law school and corporate life on hold after college and moved to Chicago in 1985, where he became a community organizer with a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment.
The group had some success, but Barack had come to realize that in order to truly improve the lives of people in that community and other communities, it would take not just a change at the local level, but a change in our laws and in our politics.
He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard in 1991, where he became the first African-American resident of the Harvard Law Review. Soon after, he returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law. Finally, his advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate, where he served for seven years. In 2004, he became the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
It has been the rich and varied experiences of Barack Obama's life – growing up in different places with people who had differing ideas – that have animated his political journey. Amid the partisanship and bickering of today's public debate, he still believes in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose – a politics that puts solving the challenges of everyday Americans ahead of partisan calculation and political gain.
In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.
In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars are spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.
As a member of the Veterans Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.
Whether it's the poverty exposed by Katrina, the genocide in Darfur, or the role of faith in our politics, Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. But above all his accomplishments and experiences, he is most proud and grateful for his family. His wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 8, and Sasha, 5, live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.
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